Sir Brian May has revealed a studio clash with Freddie Mercury over the lyrics to the Queen hit Don't Stop Me Now. The guitarist shared the memory during an interview with Matt Chorley on Newsnight about the solar eclipse.
Chorley played a clip of the song, which includes the line “travelling at the speed of light,” referring to the sun's rays. May then recalled his exchange with Mercury.
Freddie's Blunt Response
Sir Brian said: “I had a go at Freddie about that because I said, 'Freddie, nobody can travel at the speed of light', and he went, 'I know darling, I really don't care'. So that's that.”
The guitar legend has previously shared that he wasn't a fan of Don't Stop Me Now when Freddie wrote it in the late 1970s. The reason was that he didn't like how the song celebrated the singer's hedonistic lifestyle, which he found threatening.
Changing Appreciation
May has previously shared how he struggled with the song's lyrics, as it was around the time when Freddie was “taking lots of drugs and having sex with lots of men.”
Nevertheless, over the years, hearing how the song has been played at weddings, funerals and parties generally, the guitarist has come to appreciate the “great joy” it represents.
